


a dream needs believing to taste like the real thing

by onetruethree



Series: Zutaraang Roommates AU [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Day At The Beach, Established Relationship, Fluff, Multi, Road Trips, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:00:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24907237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onetruethree/pseuds/onetruethree
Summary: Aang and Katara finally take a trip to the beach that they've been planning, but now that they're dating Zuko, they invite him to come along.
Relationships: Aang/Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Zutaraang Roommates AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1576306
Comments: 10
Kudos: 45





	a dream needs believing to taste like the real thing

**Author's Note:**

> this is an ask from my tumblr that I decided to use as part of this au as an epilogue, but I may write more for this series in the future :)

Aang had never seen the ocean up close. It was odd, since his girlfriend loved the ocean as if it was her home, but once they met, they were both too busy with school and trying to be adults that they never had time to visit. So, the summer before college, they decided to take the trip. Katara had an itinerary of where to stop along the way, what cities they would visit, and where they would stay when they finally reached their destination. Aang knew they most likely wouldn’t follow the plan that closely when they actually started on their journey. 

Then, there was a huge storm, and they had to cancel their plans. 

Not only that, but it would be another year until they had the time to go on a trip like that again. It wasn’t hard to tell that Katara and Aang were both disappointed when they got the news. 

Then, later that year, they met Zuko. And although they had all but forgotten about the ocean, that big trip was still at the back of their minds and they were almost glad that they had to postpone, because now they would have Zuko with them. 

“Zuko, come on, it’ll be fun!” Aang cheered him on, already packing for something still a week away. 

Zuko sulked. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the biggest fan of the ocean. “You and Katara are welcome to go without me. This was your trip originally, anyway. I doubt it’ll be that fun for me.”

Aang frowned. “You are completely welcome to come, Zuko. It won’t be as fun without you there.”

Zuko sighed, giving in. His heart hurt when he went against Aang, especially when he pouted like that. “Fine. But you can’t make me swim.”

Aang imagined Zuko swimming like an angry cat, struggling against the water. He agreed they shouldn’t force Zuko to swim.

So, they packed everything they needed and more, including supplies for a picnic, and Zuko loved the car ride at least. He had started to love the conversations Katara had while focusing on driving, and he also loved watching the scenery go by. There was something special about how the time passed on a road trip that Zuko really enjoyed. 

In a couple hours, during which Zuko had spent most of the time napping, they stopped to have a picnic of sandwiches, and although his mind was in too much of a haze from the nap to retain anything other than the grass stains on his pants, he did like the sandwiches. Aang and Katara had wanted to have the picnic on the beach, but Zuko didn't like the thought of getting sand in their food. The park was peaceful anyway, and Zuko could already feel the coastal air on his skin.

After the picnic, when he was a little more awake, he noticed that Aang had switched to the driver’s seat. Not only that, but now Zuko was in the back seat, where he had more room to nap. He definitely didn't remember moving there, which meant they had carried him while he was asleep.

He blushed just at the thought then cleared his throat to let them know he was awake and that they could stop whispering. 

“Zuko, welcome back," Katara exclaimed half-asleep herself, turning around to see that he had woken up. She stared for a while, looking for what seemed specifically off about him. His hair might’ve been messed up, yes, but he was sure they were used to that by now.

"You alright? You fell asleep pretty easily during our picnic." Her voice changed to be more hushed as she asked, "Did you have trouble sleeping last night?" 

Zuko's nightmares had been few and far-between with Aang and Katata by his side, but they hadn't gone completely away. Now that they weren't Freshmen anymore, they had pooled their money to rent a very cheap (at least by Zuko's standards) one bedroom apartment a few blocks away from campus, so sleeping in the same bed proved a lot easier. Still, he had slept very soundly the previous night, and he specifically remembered waking up before the other two, which he preferred. He didn't like waking up with both of them gone. 

The reason he fell asleep so easily was more likely a combination of the summer-filled air and the lack of stress since they weren't taking any classes for another month. 

"I'm fine." He sat up in his seat, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Well, that’s good, because we’re here,” Aang announced, and Zuko looked out the window to confirm that it was true. Sure enough, he could see the beach from their spot in the parking lot. It didn't look like the fanciest beach-- not like those he would visit with his family-- but that meant there was almost no one there with them. From the parking lot, the landscape was made up of steep rocks, and there was only a few feet of sand between that and the water. Once they parked, Aang and Katara were suddenly out of the car. Zuko, on the other hand, was still waking up from his nap. 

“Do you need me to come back there and wake you up?” Katara jokingly threatened, holding out her hands to show that she would tickle him if he didn't get up immediately.

At that, Zuko reflexively jumped up, grabbed his towel, and ran down the steps towards the beach, Katara pursuing close behind. Just as Zuko ran out of ground unless he was willing to get in the water, Katara had caught up with him, laughing as he jumped back so as not to get his feet wet. They both turned around just in time to see Aang dumbfounded by the vastness of it. Even those who had seen miles of land from mountaintops could be stunned by how endless the ocean seems. 

Zuko would never get tired of the curious glint in Aang’s eyes, and from the look of it, neither would Katara. He set up his towel on the sand and watched as Katara explained that the water would be much colder than he expected, and that he probably shouldn’t get any closer without a bathing suit unless he was willing to get his pants wet. Aang stepped forward into the water anyway, and Katara let him, knowing she had done all she could to prepare him, and it was his responsibility now if he was disappointed by the negative effects of his actions. 

Katara approached Zuko then, holding out the sunscreen. 

Zuko shook his head. “I don’t need any. I don’t burn.”

“You’re kidding.” He couldn’t tell if she actually didn't believe him, or if she was jealous. Or both.

“I’m not.” He laid back, feeling the heat of the sun on his face, as if to prove it.   
She just shook her head, told him,“You’re incredible,” and then walked back to Aang, who was now about knee deep in the freezing cold water. 

Zuko watched them once in a while, even though he told himself he was only going to sunbathe. Even though he hated the water, especially such cold water, and especially after every bad memory of vacations with his family, watching them splash around in it made him understand what he was missing. He still wasn’t ready to swim just yet, though. 

Later, once Aang had finally agreed to leave the water, Zuko held him close in an attempt to warm him up, although he was shivering by the end of it, too.

Aang was so close to him he didn't really care, though. The smaller boy giggled and Zuko could tell he still wanted to get back into the water. 

"You're gonna get hypothermia if you stay out there any longer." Zuko said, matter-of-fact, although it wasn't quite true. 

Aang fidgeted a little, obviously not content. "Well, alright. As long as I get something else in return.” He leaned forward, suggesting he wanted a kiss, and although Zuko rolled his eyes at the silly attempt, he did kiss him. 

He tasted too much like salt water for Zuko’s liking, and Aang couldn’t hold back his laugh when Zuko pulled back with a sour look on his face. 

“Maybe once you’ve dried off a little,” Zuko suggested, now realizing Aang’s still-damp body had slowly been dripping on to him and drenching a spot on his shirt. Great.

Aang stuck out his tongue but did as he was told, grabbing a towel of his own.

Katara was still wading in the cold water, even after the tide came in. She barely seemed bothered by it, and the only reason she got out of the water at all was because the sun was quickly sinking in the sky and they needed to get to their hotel room. 

Although they were somewhat in the middle of nowhere, there was still a small motel a couple minutes drive away, so once they were all adequately dried off and free of as much sand as possible, Katara drove. They had already made a reservation, so they mainly just rested from the sun and sea-water soaked evening behind them. Being summer, it had gotten later than Zuko expected, and it was already almost 9:00, which would explain why he was so tired. 

They were exhausted when they finally got to their room, and they piled onto the bed, Zuko flopping down on top of the covers, too tired to even curl up under them. 

Aang and Katara both still smelled like seawater and sunscreen, which wasn’t pleasant, but Zuko didn't mind it either. He liked being able to tell that they were still by his side, even if he couldn’t feel them pressed up against his side. 

Aang wanted to turn on the TV, apparently not tired enough even though his fingers were pruny from the amount of swimming he did, and Katara chastised him, telling him that they should all sleep. She wrestled the remote out of his grip, even though Zuko told her it was okay for them to stay up for a few more minutes at least. 

He didn't know if it was because she was too tired herself to stay up, or she just wanted some peace and quiet together, but once she quieted Aang down a little, they all agreed that it might be best to rest. She was going to be the one to drive on the way home, anyway. 

Earlier, Zuko had offered to drive on the way back, but Aang and Katara insisted that they would take care of it. He started to wonder if they just didn't like his driving. Katara did like to be the one in control, and she was probably the best at driving out of all of them anyway, so he dropped the idea.

He was about to drift off when Aang said, rather nonchalantly, “I love you,” and although he didn't specify who, they all knew it was directed at both of them. 

“Love you, too.” Katara echoed back lazily, and they didn't expect Zuko to answer back-- in fact, they assumed he had fallen asleep a while ago.

That wasn’t true, though. He was suddenly shocked at the love in his heart, and was honestly embarrassed that he had objected to this trip at first. Feelings threatened his heart to beat out of his chest. 

"I love you." It was harder to say this time, maybe because he meant it more, or maybe because he didn't want to get used to it. He could feel their excited reactions from either side of him, and if he wasn’t exhausted already, he would kiss them until he was.

Zuko could still smell the faint scent of seawater on them when he woke up.


End file.
